Prior research in dehumanization has elected to indirectly measure the extent to which individuals deny fundamental aspects of humanity to other groups. However, recent research suggests the study participants are more than willing to declare how human or unhuman like they feel various social groups are. An influential measure of assessing this blatant form of dehumanization is known as the Ascent of Human Scale (AOH). Despite much research providing evidence of blatant dehumanization towards out-groups, little research has specifically focused on testing assumptions pertaining to the scale’s administration or applying the scale to prior research settings. This thesis adds on the growing literature aimed at assessing methodological aspects of the AOH scale in addition to examining the relationship between blatant dehumanization and other psychological constructs. In study one, we build on prior work by manipulating the instructions participants typically see when giving ratings on the AOH. Results suggest that instructions do not appear to affect how participants rate social groups even when respondents are told the nature of the scale and what it is used for. In studies two and three we manipulate the extent to which a social group stands out amongst others on the AOH. Results reveal that group salience matters only when the in-group of participants is not present on the scale for rating. In studies four and five we examine the relationship between ascent dehumanization and social power, the ability to influence the behaviors of others. In study four we experimentally manipulate participants social power then have them rate various social groups on the AOH. In study five we measure respondents’ personal sense of power followed by social group ratings on the AOH. Results reveal that social power is not related to blatant dehumanization, challenging prior literature that has found a link between power and dehumanization in general. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / The work in this thesis adds to the literature on measuring blatant forms of dehumanization. Specifically, this thesis tests assumptions around the use of the Ascent of Human Scale (AOH), an influential measure in social psychology used to measure blatant dehumanization. In addition, we examine if applying the AOH to previous research that has found a link between dehumanization and other constructs reveals similar findings. In the first study, we manipulated the scale’s instructions presented to participants to examine if specific language impacts how respondents rate social groups on the AOH. Results found that instruction changes have no impact on how respondents rate social groups, even when told the scale is a measure of blatant dehumanization. In studies two and three we manipulate the extent to which a social group stands out amongst others on the AOH scale. Results indicate that when the in-group of study participants is included on the scale (study two) salience appears not to effect ratings. However, when the in-group of participants is not included on the scale (study three) salience does impact ratings such that the more a group stands out, the more they are dehumanized. Studies four and five examine the relationship between social power and ascent dehumanization. In study four we experimentally manipulate participants’ feelings of social power then allow them to rate various social groups on the AOH. In study five, respondents take a measure of personal feelings of power then provide AOH ratings for various social groups. Results from both studies reveal that social power does not impact ascent dehumanization. Taken together the work in this thesis addresses potential concerns regarding the use of the AOH and encourages the application of the scale to previous work to examine if blatant dehumanization is related to other constructs that dehumanization is argued to be central to.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/28964 |
| Date | January 2023 |
| Creators | Johnson, Devin Louis |
| Contributors | Obhi, Sukhvinder S, Psychology |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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